Indeed, poverty is infinitely complex and there are no convenient singularities. The project of Poverty, Inc. is embrace that complexity and eschew silver bullets. “It’s easy to have a heart for the poor,” says development expert Michael Fairbanks in the film. “But can we have a mind for the poor? That’s the challenge.”

“When I see the country heads drive around in their posh cars and living in their big houses,” echoes Ghanaian software entrepreneur Herman Chinery-Hesse in Poverty, Inc., “I see multiple colonial governors. We are held captive by the donor community.”

Very few people ever take notice of one of the key drivers of illegal immigration: poverty in the developing world fueled by U.S. agricultural subsidies and crony capitalist trade policies supported by Republicans and Democrats alike.

We heard two big bangs about 50 yards ahead. My friends grabbed me, their guest, tightly and the rickshaw driver halted abruptly. People were running and yelling, but it seemed no one was hurt from the explosions. Just mini-bombs, meant to frighten, not to injure. A few moments later, we were bouncing along again as if nothing had happened. But that was just the beginning.